The Kremlin-backed head of Russia's Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov, says authorties in Germany have allowed two racehorses he keeps there to receive prize money despite Western sanctions against him.

German media reports last month said that authorities refused to pay monetary awards won by Kadyrov's horses, Zazu and Dashing Home, due to EU sanctions that bar him from traveling or holding assets in the European Union.

Kadyrov wrote on Instagram on November 18 that "common sense has at last prevailed over political intrigues" and that horses are now allowed to receive prize money.

He had said earlier that tens of thousands of euros earned by the horses would be used for their upkeep in Germany.

Kadyrov is on a list of Russian and Ukrainian officials subject to EU sanctions because their activities jeopardize the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.